Te Rūnanga o Ngā Maata Waka is the Urban Māori Authority for Te Waipounamu.

We are based at Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae situated in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch.

We are an approved community services provider of Child Youth and Family to provide social work support, as well as being registered and accredited by NZQA under the Education Act as a Private Training Establishment.

We are proud to announce that we have recently successfully moved onto MSD’s new Approvals framework and in February 2015 we achieved accreditation under Te Wana: an internationally recognised quality management system.

We currently deliver a range of services in health, education, justice, social services, creative arts, housing, business development, community development, cultural identity and competence, Marae etiquette practice and customs,  and the youth sectors.

“A person’s language is the plume of their identity, the jewel of their prestige, and the soul of their dignity. Take away the language of a people and you take away the very fabric of their culture, making them mere puppets of society.”
Hohua Tutengaehe

For the Rūnanga the name Maata Waka means the ‘confederation of all tribes, all nations, all people’. The organisation is inclusive of all and exclusive of none.

For the Rūnanga our vision is to support the dreams and aspirations of all people and to strive towards independence with integrity. For us this is ‘tino rangatiratanga’.